Igniting device for gas-engines



(No Model.)

A A; J. PIE-ROE. v

IGNITING DEVICE FOR GAS ENGINES. 7 7 N0.56 1,642. Patented J-uly 28, 1'896. 19

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* UNITED STATES P T NT OFFICE;

ANDREW J.'PIEROE, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN] IGNITING DEVICEFOR GAS-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters' Patent No 564,642, datedJuly as,1896.

Application filed May 27, 1893. Serial No. 475,762. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ANDREW J. PIERCE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Racine, in the county of Racine, and in the State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in IgnitingDevices for Gas-Engines; and I do hereby de clare, that the following isa full, clear, and

, exact description thereof.

. Myinvention relates to gas-engines; and it consists in certain novelmeans for economically igniting the gas by an electric spark, as will befully set forth hereinafter and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a representation, chiefly in verticallongitudinal central section on the line 1 1 of Fig. 4, of so much of agas-engine as is necessary to illustrate my present invention. Fig. 2 isadetail view of portions of the foregoing. Fig. 3 is adiagrammatic view,and Fig. 4: is a vertical sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

A represents a portion of the frame of the engine, and B is thecylinder.

O is the piston, and c the piston-rod, the latter being connected bylink D with the shaft e of a pinion E, which meshes with a gearwheel F,supported on a stud f on the frame A, said gear F carrying an eccentricG, whose strap gis secured to one end of a jointed rod H H, the otherend of said rod being pivoted to one end of a crank h. The other end ofthis crank his formed with a sleeve h, secured rigidly, as by a pin '0',to a shaft I, journaled in a head J, which is secured, as by screws jj,to the end of the cylinder B. This head J has a chamber K therein, withan opening 7a communicating with the said cylinder, said chamber beingcovered by a suitable plate L, held to the head J by screws j j. Theupper part of this chamber K receives a block M, fast on the inner endof the described shaft 1, which carries an electrode m, preferably inthe form of a spirally-coiled wire having a downturned point for contactwith the other electrode n, which latter is preferably a metallic plate,set obliquely in the head of a metallic cylindrical plug N, supportedand passing through the said head J, but insulated therefrom, as shownat 0. The lowerprojecting end of this plugN is screw-threaded to receivea screw-threaded sleeve P, also insulated from the head J, as shown, thelower end of said sleeve being reduced and fitted with a clip 19, havinga hole in which is 'inserted one end of a circuit -wire q, held tightlyin place by a screw Q, running from a battery R. From this battery theother circuit-wire 1" runs to a clip S, secured to an arm T, projectingfrom the frame A, there being suitable insulation, as shown at t,between said arm and clip, and the latter being provided with a metallicbrush U, for contact at the proper time with a pin to, projecting fromthe gear-wheel F.

The object of my device is to produce only a single spark in the chamberK while the movable electro'de m traverses entirely around thestationary electrode n, as hereinafter described and illustrateddiagrammatically in Fig. 3, and thereby insure economy in the use of thebattery.

The chamber K is filled with the mixed gas and air common togas-engines, and in Fig. 1 the piston is shown just starting on its backstroke with the contact-point of the electrode m just leaving one end ofthe electrode at, as shown at 1 in Fig. 3, and with the brushUin contactwith the pin it on the gear-wheel F, thus completing the circuit, and asthe rod H is moved forward by reason of the movement of the eccentric Gon said gear-wheel F said rod moves the crank h, and this turns theblock M on the shaft I, fast to the other end of said crank and carriesthe point of the electrode m to the point 2 in Fig. 3, breaking thecontact with the electrode nand producing the spark necessary to igniteand explode the gas and air in the chamber K. The pin it is now freefrom contact with the brush U, and as the gear-wheel F continues torevolve the eccentric G brings the rod and crank back, thereby, in anobvious manner, causing the point of electrode m to strike against andtravel along one side of the electrode a, as shown at 3 etin Fig. 3, butwhen said electrodepoint leaves this end of the electrode at and passesto the point 5 there is no spark, because the brush and pin are not yetin contact, and the circuit is therefore open, which open conditioncontinues as said electrodepoint moves along to the points 6 and 1 inFig. 3, on the return forward movement of the eccentric rod and crank,again producing a sparkas-the pointof electrode m'passes from the pointlrtothe point 2 in Fig. 3,.with

, the brush U andpin u again in contact, and

In a gas-engine, the combination with a cyl-i inder having anigniting-chamber thereon m ar and a piston'in the cylinder, ofafleiiible e1ec 4 trode. and a rigid electrode in the chamber, thelatter consisting of a rigid fiat metallic plate arranged in line withand obliquely to the flexible e1ectrode,'consisting of a coiledspringand means for moving the flexible electrode, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoingl have hereunto set my hand, atMilwaukee,

in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in the presence oftwo witnesses.

i i v M ANDREW J. PIERCE.

'tVitnessesz" a H. G. UNDERWooD, O. W. Sco'rr;

